Concrete block molding machine



Dec. 27, 1949 A c s 2,492,453

CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 6, 1946 4 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. ALF G. CARLSEN ATTORNEY Dec. 27, 1949 A. G. CARLSEN CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6 1946 INVENTOR.

N E S. L R A C G F L A ATTORNEY Dec. 27, 1949 A. G. CARLSEN CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 4 SheetS-Sheet S Filed Aug. 6, l

INVENTOR. ALF G, CARLSEN ATTORNEY Dec. 27, 1949 A. G. CARLSEN 2,492,463

CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FileoL Aug. 6, 1946 I INVENTOR. ALF G, CAR LSE N ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT VOF-FICE I 8 Claims. I 1

This invention relates to concrete blockmaking machines and is particularly adapted for making concrete blocks. v

The primary object of the invention-is to form --concrete blocks'by precision forms so thatthe final block'will be a precision made block.

A further object of the invention isto provide a form having oneof its side walls retractable fromrthe blocks formed-therein so. that the blocks :bemovedout throughathe form without .dis-

figuringssaidblocks.

:A still further object of ithe invention :is. to provide sub dorms-for shaping .the blocks within the overall form.

:A further object. of the invention isvtolprovide .ameans of moving the sub-forms, includingthe moulded blocks, out of the overall form replacing said sub-forms with additional'formsready for forming the next group of concrete blocks.

.Another objects of. my invention is vto provide special shaping forms to be inserted within the sub-forms and the overall forms for making rounded corners on the blocks.

"These and otherincidental objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claims.

" Referring. to the drawings:

Figure 1 is aside view of my new and improved concrete block making machine, I

Figure 2 isan end view of Figure 1; taken on line 22.

Figure 3 isa plan view of 'themachine.

Figure 24 is another modified form of concrete block. making machine.

Figure 5 is an end view of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is :a longitudinalisidewiew, partially in sectiomparts broken away; taken; on line-.6- -'6 of Figure 2.

.Figure 7. is a perspective view. ofzone ofrthersubforms.

-Figure 8 is a perspectiveview of one of the concreteblocks having been .formed.

v.liigure 9 isthe .same as Figure 8, except that the block hasbeen. inverted.

"Figure 10 is a plan sectional view taken on line Ill-l 0 of Figure ,1, illustrating the concreteblocks being formed withinthe form.

Figure 11 is the same as that of Figure 10 except thatthe' side of the master. form has been'retracted from the sub-forms and the concrete blocks relievingthe surface friction'so that the blocks can be replaced byadditional 'forms. In

this view" the 'new forms are :being brought into place forcing the forms containing-the castblocks cut or the-machine. j

.machine-on line l2-l-2-..of Figure 1, parts broken away for :convenience of illustration.

Figure-13:319. fragmentary plan view of the -forms illustrating-a.- special corner form in place.

Figure 1.4 -is "a perspective view of the said corner. form removed. from the forms.

Figure .15 illustrates .the sub-forms removed from the machine but supporting the blocks while said. blocks are-setting; orlhardening.

In the. drawings:

.My new and improved concrete block making machine consistsoflgaxframe fl, having a-sub- .frameg mounted upon'the frame I by resilient blocksa3 ci. any we1l ,known construction. By mounting .the .sub-iramerz on -.the frame I aby resilientblocks..3.a;movement between the frame land the frame. l---.may-be: created by a vibrating mechanism, which will be described. later.

Fixedly secured-tosthe subeframe 2 is an upwardlyextending wall 4 forming one side of the master. mold. Thiswall is solidly connected to theisubeframe 2.-by-;bolts 4' or any other suitable method. -.Opp0site ly disposed from the wall 4 is .a.movable.-wall- 5. .flhis movable wall 5 .has a base 6-extending therefromandover the surface of the sub-.frame-2. This wall is pivotally mounted,'reierring.to, Figurestl0- and.11.at l to the frame .2..hy.any.snitable pivotal.connection, as for instance-the .boltand. nut .assembly 8.

.--A lever..9 is pivotally mounted to the sub-base 2.,at. Ill. and has oneof its. ends connected to the link. ll,Lwhich-is;pivotallymounted to the base-'6 of the side 5 of.,.the iorm-at. l2. Referring toFig- .ure 10, itwillbe noted;=that; thelever is maintainingthe sidewalhfi 0f=.th e f0rm parallel to the side Wallj,hutthatdnFigure llthe lever has been moved to retract the sidewall 5. as-shown, which will be..descr-ibed.more fully. later on.

.Sub-molds 13 .are clamped between the side walls 4 -and. .5,.best.illustrated in Figures '6, 10, 11 and .12. These molds' consist of upwardly extendingqends-l-4 andbaseslS. The ends I6 of the:bases of. eachmold fit into the notches .l-I of the ,nextz-moldrinline, maintainingthe same in alignment. Dowel holes 18 are formed onone side of'the-endwallslt of the molds and cooperate-with the dowels-l9, .forming part vof the cranks.2-0,.which :areiflxedly secured to the cross shaft-2|.

.The shaft 2| runs; longitudinal of the side wall 5:;andqis journalledvwithin suitable bearings 2| itmntne: reeniorcingrwebs 2 l The .crankz22 isakeyemtmthe said shaftgzl' '-=.an.d;is operated-my thexiever'ifl; :which 1 .iszpi-votallyrmounted to the basez fi; i144; lever-zflhas av crankrarm-li forming part thereof, said crank arm having a crank pin for engaging the slot 21 within the crank 22. When the lever is raised, referring to Figure 12, the dowel pin l9 on the cranks 29 are pulled away from the holes I8 in the side of the sub-molds I3, but when the lever 23 is lowered the crank pin 26 aligns itself with the pivot point 24, holding the dowel pins I9 in contact with the holes l8 .of the sub-molds preventing end movement of the same while the concrete is being poured into the molds.

A cover plate 28 is hingedly mounted to the side wall 4 of the form at 29. A crank arm 38 forms part of the cover 28 and is pivotally connected to the connecting rod 3| at 32. The opposite end of the connecting rod being pivotally connected at 33 to the lever 34, which in turn is pivotally mounted to the frame I at 35. The outer end of the lever having a foot treadle 36.

A spring 3'! has one of its ends connectedat 32 to the crank 36 and its opposite end connected to the framework of the form at 38. This'spring tends to hold the cover 28 in open position, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, but when it is desired to close the cover plate 28 the treadle is pressed downwardly, which overcomes the spring 31 and moves the cover plate to the position shown in Figures 6 and 12.

A table 39 is mounted to the side wall 5 at 40 and is braced by the end walls M to the base 6. In order to provide vibration to the form when forming the concreteblocks a shaft 42 is journalled under the sub-frame 2 within suitable bearings 43. Off center weights 44 are keyed to either end of the shaft, and when the said shaft is revolved at a high rate of speed these weights impart a vibrating action to the frame 2, which as stated before was mounted upon resilient blocks 3 permitting this vibration,

The shaft 42 is driven by the belt 45 from the pulley 46 secured to the shaft of the motor 41. The motor 41 is mounted to a cross shaft 48 which is journalled to the frame I by suitable bearings 49. A double foot pedal bar 58 is also keyed to the shaft 48 and has foot treadles 5| and 52 forming part thereof. A spring 53, having oneof its ends secured to the bar 59 at 54 and its opposite end to the base 55 at 56 maintains the motor in the position shown in Figure 6. This provides a slack in the belt 45 so that the pulley 45 will not drive the same, therefore when it is desired to rotate the shaft 42 the foot treadle 52 is pushed downwardly causing the motor to rotate about the shaft 48 in the direction of the arrow tightening the belt 45. When the foot is taken oif the treadle the motor will return to the natural position as shown.

A conveyor chain 51 is 'trained about the sprocket 58 journalled within the conveyor frame 59. This sprocket is driven by the belt 60 from the pulley BI, which is keyed to the cross shaft 62, said shaft being mounted in suitable bearings 63 within the frame I. A V-belt 64 is driven from the pulley 46 driving the shaft 62, belt 69, sheave 65 and the chain 51.

I will now describe the operation of my new and improved concrete block making machine. The sub-molds l3 are lined up on the conveyor chain 51 and are moved therealong in the direction of the arrow by the dog 66 forming part of the chain 51 on to the sub-frame 2 and between the side walls 4 and 5 of the form to the position shown in Figures 6 and 10. The lever 9 is then moved to the position shown in Figure 10 forcing the side wall 5 towards'ithe sub-mold I3, after ,4 which the lever 23 is lowered to the position shown in Figure 12, forcing the dowel pins l 9 into the holes I8 in the end walls l4 of the sub-molds locking said molds in a fixed relationship to one another.

The concrete 6! is then poured into the molds as best illustrated in Figures 6, 10 and 12, at the same time the operator steps on the foot pedal 52 causing the motor 4'! to drive the belt 45 and the shaft 42, rotating the counterweights 44 causing the sub-frame 2 to vibrate settling the concrete down into the forms. A straight edge is then passed over the top of the walls 4 and 5 removing the surplus concrete on to the table 39 after which the operator steps on the treadle 36, operating the lever 34, connecting rod 3!, overcoming the spring 31 and closing the cover 28 down on to the concrete within the forms.

After the forms have been vibrated sufiiciently to make the concrete semi-solid the vibrator is stopped by releasing the treadle 52, the cover 28 is allowed to open by the spring 31, the'lever 9 is then operated to the position shown in Figure 11 allowing the side wall 5 to pivot about its point I, retracting its opposite end as shown, at the same time the lever 23 is released allowing the dowels I9 to be removed from the sub-forms l3. By the retracting of the side wall 5 from the forms and the concrete it is possible to move both the forms and the concrete blocks in the direction of the arrow, Figure 11, on to the receiving conveyor 68, which Will deliver them to any desired location. 7 a

The moving of the forms out of the sub-form and the concrete out of the master form is accomplished by placing empty sub-forms on the conveyor chain 51 and forcing them against the sub-forms contained within the master form by the action of the dog 53 of the chain pushing the empty forms forward. In order to do this the treadle 5| of the pedalbar 59, rocking the motor 41 in the opposite direction of the arrow tightening the belt 64, rotating the shaft 32, belt 69 and the conveyor chain 51 in the direction of the arrow until the new group of subform's have pushed into the form having completed forcing the blocks out through the end 69 of the master form on to the conveyor 38, after which the lever 9 will be moved to the position-shown in-Figure lOg closing up the master form at which time the lever 23 will lock the dowel pins I9 into the sub-forms as above described,

I have shown formed on the face of the cover plate 28 dowels for moulding'the depressions I3 into the building block 'II and I have also shown depressions 12 formed within the sub-form I3 for making the dowels 13 on the building blocks;

In order to make rounded corners on the concrete blocks I have provided a filler or forming mold M which is inserted. within the main molds adjacent the sub-molds I3, as illustrated in Figure 13.

Referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5 I have illustrated a simplified form of block making machine incorporating my new and improved mold of the same structure as that above described, but in these drawings I have eliminated the power driven agitator and the conveyors, but have substituted a foot operated concrete tamping device.

This tamping device consists ofan upright frame or guide I5 secured to the frame I of the machine. .A group of, agitating plungers 16.. is

slidably mounted through the guide 11 to the upright bar 15 and is supported by the cable 18 trained about the pulley 19, said cable being operated by the foot pedal 88 working in the guideway 8| In the operation of the machine the pedal 89 is released allowing the tampers E6 to tamp the concrete into the sub-molds I3. I merely illustrate the drawings in Figures 3, 4 and 5 to show that my new and improved mold can be adapted to a hand operated machine.

I have not attempted to show the concrete supplying apparatus for the mold, as this may be any suitable kind of mechanism for this purpose, such as a hopper of some sort having a means of moving the concrete into the molds of my new and improved block making machine.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact mechanical structure as shown in my drawings and described, as other mechanical equivalents may be substituted still coming within the scope of my claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A concrete block forming machine, including a base, a mold support resiliently mounted on the base, a mold carried by the support and including a fixed side wall, a movable side wall and partitions movable between the side walls to complete the molds, a carrier for feeding the partitions longitudinally between the side walls of the mold to molding position, means for operating the carrier, means for creating an agitation of the mold support to settle the material when in the mold, including a shaft located below the mold support and cams on the shaft to contact with said mold support, a single power means for operating the carrier and the agitating means, and manually controlled means for controlling the operating means to selectively actuate the agitating means or the carrier operating means.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein the agitating means and the carrier operating means are driven by a motor mounted for swinging movement and connections between the motor and agitating means and carrier operating means for operating said parts, and wherein means are provided for swinging the motor to selectively interrupt the operation of the agitating means or the carrier operating means.

3. A concrete block forming machine, including a base, a mold support resiliently mounted on the base, means for agitating the support, a mold mounted on the support and including a side wall fixed to the support, and an opposing side wall swingingly mounted on the support and movable relatively to the fixed side wall, and a series of movable partitions in the mold, locking means carried by the movable side wall, means for operating the locking means through the movable side wall and in locking cooperation with the end wall formations of the partitions, a car.-

rier for feeding the partitions in aligned relation longitudinally of and between the side walls to complete the mold formation, and means for limiting the movement of the movable side wall relative to the mold formation to free the partitions with the molded material thereon for movement relative to the side walls for discharging the molded material.

4. A construction as defined in claim 3, wherein a manually operable lever controls the movement of the locking means for the partitions.

5. A construction as defined in claim 3, wherein a manually operable lever controls the movement of the movable side wall to and from mold forming relation.

6. A construction as defined in claim 3, wherein the movement of the movable side wall of the mold completely frees that side wall from contact from the molded material whereby to facilitate the removal of the molded material from the mold without handling.

'7. A concrete block forming machine, including a mold composed of a fixed wall and a hinged wall, a toggle lever connected to the hinged wall to swing said Wall in mold forming position and remove said wall from mold forming position, a shaft mounted on the hinged wall with lugs to operate in openings in the hinged wall whereby to hold partitions in the mold, a lever connection to rock the shaft, a hinged plate to cover the mold, a foot lever for operating the hinged plate, a pivotally mounted motor, cams for vibrating the mold, means between the motor and cams for operating the latter and a foot lever connected to the motor for tilting same on its pivot to control the vibration of the mold.

8. A concrete block forming machine comprising a mold including a fixed side and bottom and a hinged side, a cover plate for the mold, means for vibrating the mold, means for controlling the vibrating means, including a pivotally mounted motor, a conveyor in line with the mold, means for moving the conveyor, and means for tilting the motor on its pivot to actuate the vibrating control means and the movement of the conveyor.

ALF G. CARLSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,095,216 Kenny May 5, 1914 1,528,582 Straub Mar. 3, 1925 1,919,807 Sharpe July 25, 1933 2,282,891 Schwalbe May 12, 1943 

